1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to floor covering stripping devices, and more particularly to devices for stripping floor coverings that have been adhesively secured to an underlying subfloor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of floor coverings such as carpet and linoleum are secured to an underlying subfloor by adhesives. In commercial applications it is typical to coat vast floor areas with special adhesives after which time large sections of floor covering, such as carpet, are installed thereby securing the floor covering to the underlying subfloor. Securing carpet in this manner has proven highly effective and, hence, has gained wide acceptance in recent years. Carpeting in high traffic areas, however, can quickly wear thus requiring periodic replacement; but carpeting installed using adhesive has proven difficult to remove. As a result, the prior art reveals a number of devices designed to remove floor covering, especially carpet, that is secured to a subfloor by adhesive.
One such device is revealed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,146, issued to Thomas et al. Thomas teaches an assembly designed to strip carpet or like floor covering from the surface of a floor to which it is directly adhered wherein a gripping jaw is affixed to a carpet portion to be stripped and interconnected to a driving assembly by cable.
Thomas contemplates anchoring the driving assembly by the use of an anchor means comprising a base having teeth extending outwardly from the base undersurface into penetrating relation with an anchoring carpet portion. Thomas utilizes a pivotally movable anchor base attached to a support frame and selectively positionable between an anchoring position defined by an outwardly extending disposition of said anchoring base relative to the support frame, and a stored position of said anchoring base by virtue of a pivot connection between the anchoring base and support frame. The anchoring means of Thomas, however, has several inherent disadvantages: firstly, since the anchoring means pivots to an outwardly extending anchoring position, the support frame must be located some distance from walls and other obstructions; secondly, in its stored position, the anchoring means is disposed such that the teeth are dangerously exposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,118, also issued to Thomas et al., discloses a STRIPPER ASSEMBLY FOR REMOVING CARPET wherein a gripping jaw, incorporating a grasping means comprising a plurality of teeth and positioning blocks disposed and configured to force a portion of carpet into abutting engagement with the teeth so as to be penetrated thereby, is affixed to a carpet portion to be stripped and interconnected to an anchored driving assembly which causes a pulling force on the gripping jaw for stripping the carpet.
The gripping jaw disclosed by Thomas, however, incorporates several disadvantages. First, since the gripping jaw merely has positioning blocks mounted on one of the jaw members, only the lower member having teeth applies force to the secured carpet resulting in uneven force distribution. Second, as best depicted in FIGS. 5 and 7 of the '118 patent, a number of bolts, designated 61, protrude from the undersurface of the lower jaw element. This arrangement is potentially very dangerous should a bolt, while the gripping jaw is being dragged across the floor, catch on a floor mounted electrical outlet causing pulse of electricity to travel up the connecting cable, possibly electrocuting the operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,371 issued to Bell, discloses a CARPET REMOVING APPARATUS AND METHOD for removing carpet which may have been adhesively bonded to the floor of a building. Bell's method, however, requires drilling a number of holes into the floor for providing anchoring points for a power winch and anchoring pulleys. This anchoring method is not desirable for reasons that include damage or disfigurement of the floor and the need for specialized drilling equipment.
Thus, there exists a need for a carpet stripping device incorporating an improved means for anchoring the device that is safe, simple, and does not require that holes be drilled in the subfloor, and an improved means for gripping the carpet section to be stripped that distributes forces evenly and glides smoothly over any surface.